Final Mea Culpa is garbage.

[D7Watch]

I have to say, that I have enjoyed most of this game. However, going for the final Mea Culpa statue requirement has made me completely abandon this game. The fact that I have died more to stupid pit deaths because of the ridiculous lack of control when platforming says quite a bit about a game that has a MAJOR portion of its gameplay doing that exact thing.

I mean lets not even mention that to run my ass around the entire map for this stupid ♥♥♥♥, but then I die after getting 2 of the blood vials, to a stupid swinging axe. I mean come on. What kind of ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ is that? Why are you making me waste my time circling the map for something like that? I just can't understand the logic behind a requirement like this for an upgrade.

Do any of you that have gotten this so far, actually feel any sort of accomplishment from achieving this? It really put a bad taste in my mouth. I thought the wind portion was bad but I dealt with it. After this, I just don't even care to finish the game.

[MarbleThrone]

The swingy blades in this area pushed me more times into the spikes than I care to admit. It's frustrating as hell, I fully agree with you on that. Now, as for the requirements to unlock that Mea Culpa altar: if you start in Sleeping Canvases you can skip most of that. Kill the giant stone lady, then make your way up to the Library and beyond. I managed to do it even without having activated the cable car connecting the Wall of Holy Prohibitions with the Convent of the Charred Visage.

[#05]

The platforming is definitely not the best part of the game.
Having to jump above spikes is always a gamble as you often have to jump near the edge to make it safely on the other side. But because the moment you'll fall to your death is not clear at all I also died stupidly a lot just like if I wanted to kill myself in pits.

But the worst part of the game is without a doubt the room with swinging blades next to the teleport from mercy dreams, oh my god this one is frustrating as hell.
The problem is, blades are not synched, there's no set pattern, so it's completely random if you'll be able to make it or not.
I can't count how many times I died here cause I couldn't stand on a platform anymore because the blade behind me was coming back, forcing me to jump, only to be met with the next blade that was coming my way and fell into the spikes.
That said, it also happened quite a few times that I was hit by the first blade on the left side, and fell between the two first platforms on the left but did not die and could simply walk on spikes towards the right side without any issue. Was quite handy to retrieve guilt standing on spikes (which is another bad idea tbh).

As Marblethrone suggested, and if you made it through the spikes, start by the stone statue in the sleeping canvases, which will be in the room to the right of the merchant lady's room if you're coming from the mercy dreams teleporter.
Then make your way up to the patio; go right to the mother of mothers, up to the rooftops (you'll have to have unlocked shortcuts though) and to the wall.
Once you're there go all the way down in the room next to the first checkpoint to find the lion, use the cable car to reach the covent, take the elevator from graveyard to alberto, there use the shortcut to cistern to quickly reach the mountains and kill the first bull you'll see and finally simply come back to the rooms with paintings.
I think this is the easiest path, as mobs from the covent until the end deal minor damage.

Good luck!

[Onoda]

Platforming sections need to be more frequent, much larger, with more spike traps. Every series of obstacles can be done without taking a single hit if you observe where the safe spots are, and plot your route. I was very impressed by the thought that went into some of the near-pixel perfect jump sections.

There's a trial section in Silent Sorrow that involves navigating a series of spike traps and wall hanging sections. Once it was over I was really looking forward to repeat trials hoping they were larger and more dangerous, but there wasn't any more.

The game creates expectations for more difficult areas, because when you clear a set of obstacles it feels like a sort of tutorial for the real deal that is coming later in the game. You feel impressed by the world building, but expect more dangerous traps and enemies, yet it doesn't happen, you breeze through the game because Penitent One is overpowered, and it's over before you really get tested.

The best experience came from doing the side quest for the 7th sword upgrade. It's the only part of the game where your nerve is tested for a long duration. It was the only time I actually sat up and felt any tension since doing Jondo at the start of my playthrough.

Jondo, where you pick up the 'disable healing' heart, was the best area in the game imo, but it was just so short. I'd like to see Jondo assets used to make an 'endless mode'.

Blasphemous is way too easy, both the enemies and platforming sections, but it has potential to be challenging if they push what's already there into more extreme territory.

The biggest flaw imo is the fact Mea Culpa gains more attack power, making enemies a joke, including bosses.

Looking forward to Nightmare Mode.

[D7Watch]

I disagree with much of what you said. The only real thing we are in agreement over is how overpowered "TPO" becomes once you start progressing probably halfway through the game. The lack of enemy toughness compared to upgrades is evident at that point.

I do think you are overreaching by saying pixel perfect jumping as being an implementation rather than an oversight. To each their own but saying your favorite portion of "challenge" and I do use that term loosely regarding the 7th MC upgrade is like telling me you enjoy watching paint dry. I do suppose some people would regard that as fun but I and most others do not.

[grbolivar]

Quick and easy method:
https://youtu.be/_HwUShOQGPc
Plus use Tiento to your Thorned Hairs so the axes on The Sleeping Canvases do not damage you and throw you to the spikes.

[Jean-Chibrite Rogneux]

was easyyyyyy

[Onoda]

Hopefully in a future patch we see those paintings change to different enemies, so you need to crawl the map in different ways. I don't care about rewards or upgrades it's about constantly creating challenge.

There's many things they could do to make an easy game harder, just hope nightmare mode delivers.

[aledv]

That quest its a challenge, I enjoyed it. I wish there were more challenges like that in the game. Anyway if it was too frustrating you can just skip it, you dont really need that last upgrade.

Originally posted by o n o d a:

Platforming sections need to be more frequent, much larger, with more spike traps. Every series of obstacles can be done without taking a single hit if you observe where the safe spots are, and plot your route. I was very impressed by the thought that went into some of the near-pixel perfect jump sections.

There's a trial section in Silent Sorrow that involves navigating a series of spike traps and wall hanging sections. Once it was over I was really looking forward to repeat trials hoping they were larger and more dangerous, but there wasn't any more.

The game creates expectations for more difficult areas, because when you clear a set of obstacles it feels like a sort of tutorial for the real deal that is coming later in the game. You feel impressed by the world building, but expect more dangerous traps and enemies, yet it doesn't happen, you breeze through the game because Penitent One is overpowered, and it's over before you really get tested.

The best experience came from doing the side quest for the 7th sword upgrade. It's the only part of the game where your nerve is tested for a long duration. It was the only time I actually sat up and felt any tension since doing Jondo at the start of my playthrough.

Jondo, where you pick up the 'disable healing' heart, was the best area in the game imo, but it was just so short. I'd like to see Jondo assets used to make an 'endless mode'.

Blasphemous is way too easy, both the enemies and platforming sections, but it has potential to be challenging if they push what's already there into more extreme territory.

The biggest flaw imo is the fact Mea Culpa gains more attack power, making enemies a joke, including bosses.

Looking forward to Nightmare Mode.

Agreed

[AveFerrum]

The platforming is fine, imo.

It frustrated the hell out of me sometimes, but it never felt random. Eventually I always found a way to solve the section consistently. The further I got in the game, the less trouble the platforming gave me. So really, a matter of practice.

On the topic of the swinging blades, there are generally safe spots (use crouch or sometimes jump) and it's all about recognizing when to jump. The patterns are not always the same, but that just means you have to wait one or two swings until you find an opportunity. Again, if you watch the blades you'll know when to jump intuitively.

TLDR: git gud

[Herbeh]

Its not that bad of a quest. The only part of the entire game that's difficult are short spike jumps, which is because of the awful platforming, which make regular traversal areas harder than actual platforming challenge areas. If you're having a hard time with the swinging blade room just use the invincibility prayer and run through untouched because the jumps themselves are extremely easy

[TemmieNeko]

I agree with the OP about the platforming, and 1-hit kill spike deaths, pits, etc.
tat's the only time I have died on this game. None of the enemies pose a threat, none of the bosses are difficult- most times I cleared them on my first try, never having seen them before.
that's this game's problem, you can easily beat any enemy that comes your way - pretty obvious when it starts out as you fight a giant thing that SHOULD beat you into pulp, but it turns out to be a joke, much like every single boss this game has.

[Slug Camargo]

The insta death platforming felt too much at first, but it eventually grew on me. I don't know what you mean by "ridiculous lack of control when platforming", honestly. It requires to be precise with the timings and the positioning, sometimes *extremely* precise, but the controls respond just fine once you get used to the characters "weight". I've played through the game twice (plus I played the demo and the backer beta several times), and by now I can do every platforming section flawlessly (and this is someone who struggled with Ori and the Blind Forest and kind of gave up on Celeste).

Plus! there are enough shortcuts and fast travelling options that you never have to walk back that much. AND! none of the platforming gauntlets are *that* long. AND! the hardest ones are all optional anyway.

Also, as others have pointed out, there are plenty of easier ways to go about that particular quest. I was expecting a Delicate Flower sort of deal and it turned out to be way easier.

[TemmieNeko]

Originally posted by Slug Camargo:

The insta death platforming felt too much at first, but it eventually grew on me. I don't know what you mean by "ridiculous lack of control when platforming", honestly. It requires to be precise with the timings and the positioning, sometimes *extremely* precise, but the controls respond just fine once you get used to the characters "weight". I've played through the game twice (plus I played the demo and the backer beta several times), and by now I can do every platforming section flawlessly (and this is someone who struggled with Ori and the Blind Forest and kind of gave up on Celeste).

Plus! there are enough shortcuts and fast travelling options that you never have to walk back that much. AND! none of the platforming gauntlets are *that* long. AND! the hardest ones are all optional anyway.

Also, as others have pointed out, there are plenty of easier ways to go about that particular quest. I was expecting a Delicate Flower sort of deal and it turned out to be way easier.

do not mention that accursed flower.

[Slug Camargo]

Originally posted by TemmieNeko:

Originally posted by Slug Camargo:

The insta death platforming felt too much at first, but it eventually grew on me. I don't know what you mean by "ridiculous lack of control when platforming", honestly. It requires to be precise with the timings and the positioning, sometimes *extremely* precise, but the controls respond just fine once you get used to the characters "weight". I've played through the game twice (plus I played the demo and the backer beta several times), and by now I can do every platforming section flawlessly (and this is someone who struggled with Ori and the Blind Forest and kind of gave up on Celeste).

Plus! there are enough shortcuts and fast travelling options that you never have to walk back that much. AND! none of the platforming gauntlets are *that* long. AND! the hardest ones are all optional anyway.

Also, as others have pointed out, there are plenty of easier ways to go about that particular quest. I was expecting a Delicate Flower sort of deal and it turned out to be way easier.

do not mention that accursed flower.

WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIIIII?!?!?!

[TemmieNeko]

Originally posted by Slug Camargo:

Originally posted by TemmieNeko:

do not mention that accursed flower.

WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIIIII?!?!?!

the first time I made the delviery, the screen before the goal I got stuck between loading, and my lil guy was trapped in limbo, so I had to repeat it.